The Sickness
by The WolvGambit
Summary: 8 months after the fall of Jacinto, Delta goes to rescue a group of stranded only to enounter something extremely disturbing. Now they wander the barren wastelands trying to escape these deadly creatures. Any remaining were taken out by a deadly disease.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gears of War, it is property of Epic Games.

Summary: Following 8 months after the fall of Jacinto, Delta Squad is sent to rescue a group of stranded, however they only find something very disturbing. Now, they walk the barren wastelands trying to avoid these new creatures. Any remaining survivors were taken out or converted by a deadly disease.

Has some information from Jacinto's Remnant, but branches off on it's own.

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Chapter 1

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Marcus walked along the crowded halls of Vectes Naval Base; being bumped to and fro by rushing soldiers, officers, and other staff as he made his away to the briefing room. He thought he'd have some time to spend just collecting his thoughts and maybe get Dom out of the rut he's been in. Truthfully, he worried about his best friend greatly. There were times when he'd zone out and be staring out the same window for hours and Marcus didn't know what to do for the man. This war had turned him into a zombie, Maria was the last thread of his mental health. With her gone, he split in two and Marcus had to remind him constantly to take care of himself. It was a pitiful sight.

Anya met him right at the entry way, her small hand clasping around his huge bicep to pull him out of the fray. She had changed a lot too in these past stressful months. Her once long hair had been cut to shoulder length and she had given up her job of handling information for that of one in the field. Marcus had argued at first, wanting her to remain at her post...but he relented when he realized they'd be able to spend a bit more time together.

There had been few stragglers that they had taken out, but mostly the Locust seemed controlled for now. He didn't want to get his hopes up, something still wasn't right. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked at the tired face of Victor Hoffman. The man clearly looked older than he was and truthfully, it came of no surprise. Everyone, including himself, looked to be aged at least 5 to 10 years more than they actually were. For once, he wasn't dressed in his uniform, just a set of off-duty clothing stretched thin over his muscled form, some muscles more defined than others. His bald head revealed without his cap.

"Fenix, I have a mission for you."

Marcus' eyes hardened at this. He hadn't had a mission in six months, for which he was grateful, now all of the sudden he was being deployed. Anya tried not to show anything about it affecting her, but her eyes gave it away. He ran his hand through his short hair, cut back because of the heat on the island.

"What is it?"

"About a week ago we received a transmission from a stranded camp close to Jacinto. They were once a part of the COG but got separated during an offensive attack. Their radio contact has been out for the past four months, and the Locust have kept them pinned down." Hoffman started to explain. "They are in a city located thirty miles west of Jacinto, a place that's now an island. Quilzat was breached by Lambent forces and we haven't had any more contact with them."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Marcus crossed his arms over his chest.

"You are to take Delta and go in. A Raven will take you to the location." He explained. "I want you to report any findings you can and if there are any survivors bring them here."

"I'll tell the guys, but I don't think they'll be too happy about it."

"Well, get it done."

Marcus turned around and exited the room back into the crowded hall. He didn't like this one bit, something still felt off to him and he learned never to question his gut.

"Marcus..." Anya spoke from beside him. "I'm going too."

"No."

"Why?" She asked heatedly to his stern answer.

"Not now, Anya."

"Yes, now." Her hand clutched his arm, her nails biting into the skin. "You need to take Dom with you and you won't always be able to make sure he's okay."

"Neither will you." He replied, his blue eyes focusing on her face. "I don't want you there. Dom isn't going to be doing anything differently now than he was before. I don't think I'll bring him. That's why I want you to stay here."

"But if you go without him..."

"Anya, he's in no shape to fight. The man can't even walk straight anymore without tripping over his own two feet." Marcus grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have watched him fall apart and I know that if I take him into a firefight it'd be the perfect excuse for him to try and commit suicide without it looking like one."

"But we'd all know the truth." She replied understandingly, hanging her head. "Is he getting any better?"

"It depends on the day." Marcus explained. "Yesterday he was alert, okay...but not all-there at times. Today, he's out of it again."

"Do you think he believes he has no reason to live anymore?"

"You put a man into a war and then take away the woman he loves, his family...you bet your ass." Marcus gritted his teeth. "But he still has reason to fight, he just doesn't know it. Hell, Anya. I may not be blood, but I'm his brother damnit."

"Who are you going to get to go with you then?"

"Cole and Baird, I'll ask Clay if he want's to go as well." He shrugged. "I've gotta go."

"I know."

XX

Dom sat in the very same place Marcus had left him in, the stale barren living room in the gray recliner facing the west window. The only difference happened to be that he was sleeping now and it as a good thing. He didn't always get the sleep he needed, nightmares often waking him in the early hours of the morning. Most of them about the war, others about Maria and the kids. Marcus took the ratty-looking quilt off the back of the chair and covered his life-long friend.

Weariness started to settle in as he looked at Dom's worn features. Technically he was younger than Marcus by a few years, but you couldn't tell that by looking at him now. Shaking his head, he walked towards the bathroom deep in thought. Marcus remembered when he had to move Dom out of his apartment and into his own. He'd never seen a man more broken.

XX

**Three Months Previous**

Marcus walked over to Dom's apartment with a couple of pizza boxes in one hand and a case of beer in the other. Boarder patrol had been boring in the lack of activity and his shift ended early. Dom had been taken off rotation because he couldn't focus. Of course, Marcus tried to get his friend to snap out of it, but the depression he had sunk into appeared to be too deep.

He found him in the bathroom, sitting in the bathtub with a boltok pistol clutched in his grasp rocking backwards and forth with his free hand wrapped around his knees. His shirt was tattered and dirty, pants riddled with holes, feet bloody from where he had stepped on the glass of the broken mirror on the floor. Marcus tried to understand his incoherent mumblings but stopped trying to listen as Dom moved to raise the gun to his temple.

He acted then, pulling the weapon from his shaking grasp, finally catching the stream of words that spouted from his chapped lips. _"I shot her, don't deserve to live...Maria forgive me, can't live without...need to end it...can't live anymore...Locust bastards...Carlos I want to come home...mom, dad..." _

Marcus lifted him from the tub and moved him to the bedroom which looked as if it'd seen better days. The state that he'd found Dom in surprised him since he'd visited a few days ago and he'd seemed fine. Alert even, but now this state of psychosis he'd buried himself in scared the older man. So he did the only thing he knew how: he slapped him hard across the face. The younger man stumbled back onto the bed clutching his cheek, his glassy eyes reddened from the numerous tears gazed up at him.

"Marcus?"

"I've had it with you, Dom." He grunted out. "This is it, you're either moving in with me or you're going to that rehab center. We've all tried to bring you out of this funk your in and the only other way I know how is to beat it out of you. I understand that you've lost everything, but if I ever catch you trying to do yourself in I'll bring you back and take you out myself."

And so that evening, they started moving what little furniture he had into Marcus' apartment.

XX

**Present**

Marcus looked at his ragged form while he shaved off the two day old stubble and trimmed up the patch of hair beneath his lower lip. Truthfully, even clean, he'd seen better days. The scar on the right side of his face appeared more pronounced than before, the creases around his eyes were a bit more defined, and a slight peppering of gray started at his temples and spread into his sided burns. He wasn't old, not by any means, but the stress of everything coupled with worry made him realize what could happen.

His armor sat in the very back of his closet, never seeing the light of day for months. The heavy bulk something he hadn't missed. Gathering the pieces, he put them on one by one, tightening straps, and buckling attachments. Finally, he completed the ensemble with a new bandanna Anya had given to him after his third patrol. The gray material with the small COG insignia giving him the same menacing look as he always had in full gear.

He met Anya at his front door pointing to Dom in the chair he always seemed to occupy before vacating the house entirely. It was true that Baird didn't take the news well, Cole on the other hand was just as eager. Clay was a little harder to get a hold of.

They all stood in front of the Raven now in full uniform waiting on their last orders from Hoffman before they set off. What they didn't know, is that their new mission was going to be their most horrifying.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gears of War, it is property of Epic Games.

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Chapter 2

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Their debriefing had been short and to the point. Hoffman spoke short and clipped sentences making emphasis on the rescue itself. There was very little intel on the area they were headed into and Marcus clutched his Lancer tightly like a lifeline as smokey clouds started to come into view.

"I thought we'd be getting away from environments that are dangerous to our health." Baird muttered beside him as he, too, looked at the wasteland below.

"Com'on baby, I thought you'd be excited." Cole piped up. "I know I'm ready for the big game!"

Clay sat quietly in the corner with a serious expression on his face. Marcus had to applaud the gear. The man was so unlike his brothers to an extent. He had a good personality, but in the thicket he said nothing and only took orders. Along the top of his right eye rested a scar which no one knew how he acquired, and instead of a helmet he decided to forgo it. His red hair was tied in a knot on the back of his head. He had grown it out since they had been decommissioned.

"So, what are we really here for?" Clay finally spoke.

"Rescue."

"Other orders?"

"Take out anything not human, gather intel." Marcus grumbled.

"Basically, a wild goose chase."

"Exactly."

The blades of the helicopter continued to beat noisily above their heads as the battered landscape became more and more visible. Battered buildings stood tall upon their weak facades, hollow shells of what they once were. Coated in ash and blood, dirt and grime, the open tombs housed bodies both gear and locust, a vertical graveyard. The streets were lined with debris, some recognizable, others not, and the horror was just beginning.

After a bit of maneuvering, their raven landed in a small clearing about fifty feet from a broken down radio tower; the building beside it a stony pile of rubble deemed useless. As they exited the worn-down craft, Marcus pressed his finger to his ear broadcasting that they had arrived. Hoffman's voice came in then, the signal extremely fuzzy due to their location.

"Very good, Fenix. You want to head east of your location and be sure to watch for any remaining hostiles, you're in their territory."

"How long are we going to be here?"

"Until your mission is completed. Command out." His signal cut immediately following.

"Well that's just perfect." Baird grunted. "Who knows how long we'll be stranded here."

"Baird, shut up." Marcus sighed. "We've got our orders, now lets move out."

XX

The eroded gravel road, worn out by the elements, crunched beneath their booted feat; Anya had been out of contact for a while now since their signal was lost in the fade. Darkness was soon to follow and they were thankful that the threat of the kryll was well behind them after the lightmass bombing.

"It's too quiet around here." Marcus grumbled before coming to a stop. "Keep your eyes open, Delta."

Clay stood silently beside him, his eyes examining the scene before them all. They had covered quite a distance in the hours before dusk and as they trekked up a low hill into the next area, it was completely devoid of life. Bloodied ash lined the dirt beneath their feet, squared off brick emptiness covered in bullet casings and broken weapons, busted furniture, and anything else that could be thought of.

Baird looked around at a human mass beside a dumpster a few feet away from Marcus, the COG tags still around the soldiers neck. A viscus yellow liquid was seeping from his eyes and mouth, their luminous glow appearing similar to that of the lambent locust they had been encountering. Something was very wrong here.

"Marcus, I think there is something you should see."

"Yeah, Baird?" Marcus responded as he sided up next to his teammate. "What is it?"

"This guys name is Gerald Rimsley, one of the soldiers who had been sent to this area for a recon mission. He never returned." Baird pointed to the glowing liquid. "This, however, I have no explanation for."

"My God."

"Yeah. My guess is that either a lambent killed him, or there is something more sinister at work here." Baird concluded. "Let's get out of here."

"Good idea."

Anya managed to set radio contact a while later as they crossed over another ridge into hostile territory. A locust camp settled on the other side, little less than thirty of them in one place. Their numbers had been dwindling since Jacinto's sinking and they found it easy to take them out when their numbers were so few.

"We've got a small group in front of us." Marcus spoke clearly into the com-link.

"Are you going to approach?"

"Not yet, we're going to wait for nightfall. Better cover that way." He responded gruffly.

"Be careful, Marcus."

"Yeah, Anya."

XX

She brought him with her to the command post. Anya didn't want him to be alone, there was no telling what he could get into. As far as she knew, Marcus kept everything Dom could use as a weapon locked up; even silverware. It was a bit drastic, but after the bathtub incident, Anya couldn't blame him. Now, Dom sat in a chair beside her acting somewhat like his old self...but not quite.

"Why didn't he ask me to go?" Dom sighed as he hugged his knees to his chest.

"Dom, you aren't ready to fight anymore." She placed a hand on his shoulder, kneading the muscle gently. "You lose time, you forget where you are, and I know you don't even remember when you tried to commit suicide."

His sad eyes met hers. "I just feel useless."

"It's been eight months since your wife's passing, three months since the day you moved in with Marcus. Right now you need to focus on getting better. It's not going to be easy."

"Anya have you..."

"Told Marcus how I feel about him?" Dom nodded at her response. "He knows, but right now we can't act on it."

"Don't waste time...don't let him waste it either." He looked upon her. "You never realize just how precious it is, until it's gone."

Anya looked at the screen in front of them, her hand sliding off his shoulder. The words echoed in her mind and she realized he was right. Dom, for all his youth, had been made wise by this war. He was but a shadow of the young, carefree man they once new. A worn hollow shell of his former self. It was time he would never be able to get back with his wife and children.

"I understand." She said finally. "Marcus would never show it, but he cares about you and you need to pull yourself together. Maria wouldn't want this for you."

"I know." He replied sullenly. "I just don't know what to do."

Dom tugged at his hair harshly, the thick strands weaved between his fingers.

"You live." She sighed softly before Marcus' voice broke through the com-link.

"_Anya, I think we finally managed to get radio contact back online."_

"I copy, Delta. Loud and clear." She answered.

XX

"We've found a few more bodies lined up near a broken down house." Clay pointed to the crumbling brick facade near them. "They are in the same condition as the one was saw after we landed."

"What do you think, Baird?" Cole asked his friend.

"How should I know." He scratched his head. "I don't think I've ever encountered anything like this before."

They settled behind a barrier towards the center closest to the action. "Everybody get their grenades ready." Marcus whispered as he reached for his own. "On three we're just going to start chucking them in."

They moved to other barriers around the area to box them in. "Ready? One...Two...Three."

The frags exploded upon impact rattling the ground around them, blasting the locusts that were caught in the fray to bits. Blood, bile, and bone burst from the center outward coating the area in a fine mist.

"Oh gee, that was fun. Next time, lets get some drop covers or something." Baird grumbled as he pulled some entrails off his shoulder.

Marcus shook his head, used to the reluctant soldiers antics.

XX

Night started to fall quickly causing a bit of difficulty due to the lack of light on the island. Risea glowed faintly in the sky covered by smog and cloudcover.

"You know, sometimes I have to agree with Ben about why they never gave us flashlights." Clay replied seriously after a moment as they crouched down behind another barrier.

"So where's the entrance to this place?" Baird asked.

"It's supposed to be up ahead. An old subway system that serves as a shelter."

"So we're going underground again."

"Yup."

"Great..."

"Don't worry Baird, I got your back. Ain't no boogy man gonna getcha." Cole slapped his back with a laugh.

"Alight guys, enough. Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gears of War, it is property of its creators at Epic Games.

AN: I know, I've been gone for way too long...but here's an update.

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Chapter 3

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The leftover fluorescent lights flickered and dimmed as they continued down the stairs. It was amazing that they were still lit when most of the power had been taken out long ago. Buzzing and shuffling noises met their ears as each one popped in an out slowly, glowing for about a minute before flicking off. In this instance, they weren't grateful for the light they provided. Carcasses lined the floor at their feet, some human, some locust, and others strange combinations of something unidentifiable.

Liquid coated the broken-down tracks before them, a mixture of unknowns that sloshed as they walked through it. A smell hit their nostrils, the overwhelming stench of it causing them to gag repeatedly. What ever the viscous fluid happened to be, it glowed against the faint lighting that guided them.

"Marcus, I think we should look for something else to walk on." Baird said suddenly. "Whatever this is, it's eating away our shoes."

Marcus looked down at his boots seeing the damage caused by what they were walking through. "Alright, lets look for some dry land."

"Good idea, man. I'm running out of stuff to spare on mine." Cole stated as he scouted the area.

Clay pointed to a section of dry concrete just a few feet away from them that seemed to trail the rest of the way down the tunnel. Baird moved in first only to be stopped by Marcus. "Don't move to fast and slosh that shit around, we don't know what's in it."

"Yeah, yeah I know." He sighed before moving more gingerly across the barren subway ground. "You know something...I think the metal underneath these has been eaten away by this shit."

"Great." Marcus clicked he com-link only to get static. "It seems we have no signal down here either. Let's keep a sharp eye out."

XX

They continued down the ever-darkening tunnel, the space between the walls seeming to get smaller and smaller as they made their way through another area. The lights continued to flicker above them before dieing out completely leaving them in the inky darkness. Clay flicked a lighter on only for it to flare down the tunnel and also back into his face. Said object dropped with a hollow clank to the ground below as Baird clicked a couple of glow-sticks to give them something to see by.

"Okay so we know that fire is a bad idea down here. Whatever is left in the air is flammable."

"No shit." Marcus grumbled, blunt as always. "So now that we're down to these we're going to have to stay close."

Nothing else was said as they continued down the ever-thinning concrete path. Whatever liquid they had been trailing through before seemed to be getting thicker and more luminous as they looked out at the worn away pavement.

"I don't like this, Marcus." Clay stated beside him. "Something feels off."

"I agree." Baird stated in his oh-so-charming manner.

"Anya, you there?"

"I'm here, Marcus." She replied after a beat. "What do you see?"

"We haven't come into contact with any survivors yet and to be perfectly honest, I don't think we will." He sighed into the com-link. "There seems to be some sort of substance that looks like imulsion but lacks the heat. Melted our boots off though."

"There have been reports of a luminous substance in certain tunnels where lambent have been seen."

"Lambent? Oh this is just great."

"Baird, shut up." Marcus rubbed a gloved palm against his face. "Anything else, Anya?"

"The substance is like nitro in a way, if you put it in a container, shake it and throw it; it will explode." She concluded.

"Good to know." He then turned to his squad. "You heard her, this is basically lambent blood. Anybody got anything we can put it in?"

"Are you serious?" Baird raised an eyebrow. "You want to collect this stuff? We don't even know if it's a contagious substance!"

Marcus leveled him with his neon eyes and Baird promptly shut his mouth. "Look, I highly doubt we're going to find any more weapons down in this heap since this liquid covers most of it. If we can use this stuff as a weapon, then we'll take it. Just make sure you don't get it on your skin."

With those words said, Baird pulled out a few specimen containers that he used for other purposes. "Whatever you do, don't shake them until you're ready to use them."

Xxxxxxxx

It felt like another one of those days where he couldn't break free. Dom threw the covers off his bed before rising to his feet. Every day he did the same thing, when he could keep a grasp on his surroundings. He got up, traced the worn photograph of him and his wife, brushed his teeth, then went down into the kitchen always seeing Marcus there with the morning paper and a cup of black coffee.

Today was different, he could tell. Not only because Marcus wasn't there, but because there were several platinum strands bathing the arm of the couch before him. Then he remembered. Anya was taking his place while he was out on a mission. They didn't trust him.

The truth hurt, he realized. Hurt like a bitch. He had caused an imbalance within their system and in reality, how very fragile it was, Dom couldn't blame them for their constant watch. After a quick meal of something he barely tasted, he took his place in the worn arm chair that faced the window. Images passed over his vision, the nightmares that still haunted his sleeping routine. All of them seemed the same, just with different colors and focuses.

It always started out the same, the vision of his wife, the blurriness of his vision as if he weren't looking at the scene through is own eyes. Black and white, red and black, gray, prism. He heard the shot but didn't process it, saw the blood, and felt the tears.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to jump as he turned his tear-stained eyes to his brothers last chance at salvation. Anya stood beside him with a steaming mug of tea in her hand. A mug of coffee on the small table beside him.

"You okay?"

It took him a minute to gather himself, free his mind from the chains that bound him. "I don't know."

Anya shook her head and pulled up one of the chairs from the kitchen. As she sat, he watched the fluidity of her movements, focused on each sound and color to try and keep him in the moment.

"Marcus told me what you do all day and it isn't healthy. You need to get out and enjoy life again, Dom."

Her words hit him like a punch to the sternum. His chest ached with the implication of betraying every happiness he'd ever experienced. Dom was to late to save everything he'd ever loved, he didn't deserve anything good. "Anya..."

"No, Dom. You have something left to live for. Marcus is your brother, I'm your friend, so is Cole and Baird. Maria would want this for you." She stood and then knelt in front of him, clasping their hands together. "I want you to take a long hard look in the mirror at yourself. Look at the husk of a man you've become. I know what you're going through, it may not be the same, but I do know. I lost my mother, I understand the pain."

A solitary tear trailed down his cheek as he hung his head. "It's not that simple."

"It's difficult only because you make it that way." Anya stood and then pulled him up with her. He'd lost so much weight in the past few months it made it possible for her to do so.

Anya pulled him into Marcus's room, it seemed to be the only one with mirrors since every place else, even the bathroom, had blank spaces where they had once been. She suspected that the man shaved in his room instead of the bathroom because he didn't want to cut himself. She stood back and watched the anguished look take hold on Dom's face. The utter loathing as he pressed a calloused hand onto it's surface. His reflection mimed every action to the letter, watched as he traced a hand over his worn face, his fingers balling to a fist on his free hand.

In horror, Anya watched as his arm reared back and she caught him at the elbow before he was able to punch his reflection. "No, Dominic!"

Pulled from his inner-turmoil, Dom lowered his arm and let it fall limply to his side before falling heavily to the bed behind him. His head lowered into his hands as he broke out into hushed sobs, ashamed.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Gears of War is property of Epic Games.

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Chapter 4

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Something was wrong, very wrong. After shoving open a jammed door on a rail car, their eyes were greeted by a massacre. Bodies lined the floor coated in the same filmy mucus on each of the corpses. The smell was unbearable, Marcus actually had to pull his bandana from his head to place around his face. Around the corners of the car, whatever the substance was had eaten the metal away, leaving a clear view to the flowing river beneath the concrete.

A low noise caught their ears, the haze caused by the low lighting made it seem like a fog had settled after a hard rain. "How much further, Marcus?"

Said man turned to Cole with a tired expression, his voice muffled under the thick fabric. "I couldn't tell you. We lost contact with control close to an hour ago."

"Just great." Baird grumped as they continued to trudge along.

"Baird, shut up."

Another set of sounds echoed lowly along the chamber, an animalistic groan but not completely. "Locust?" Clay asked as he raised his shot gun.

"No." Baird whispered in answer. "Something different."

"What?" Marcus questioned.

"How the hell should I know, but I swear a locust never made that noise."

"Let's stay alert, Delta."

XX

Anya had so much nervous energy it was hard for her to sit still. She had tried so many channels without success and focusing between the coms along with taking care of Dom was taking it's toll on her. They had been out of contact for close to a day, where ever they were, she hoped that Delta found a way out. A warm hand clasped her shoulder then, the weight comforting to her anxious mind.

"He's alright, Anya." Dom sighed as he sat down beside her, a cup of coffee offered as a calming aid.

"I know, but it doesn't stop me from worrying." She shook her head. "He seems to always be put into situations where radio contact is either limited or nonexistent."

A fuzzy static suddenly filled her ears along with gunfire and the grunting, yet muffled, voice of Marcus. "Co...you...need..."

"Marcus!"

"Anya...shit Delta keep...fucking what..."

"Marcus, can you hear me?" She shouted into the receiver. Suddeny a series of rappid explosions filled the com, each one louder than the last causing her ear to ring as she pulled the communicator from it. Switching to the other ear quickly just as everything went silent. Anya's heart rate sky-rocketed, the white noise blankenting her with dread. "Marcus?"

Silence. Not even static greeted her, just nothingness. "Marcus...?"

Again, nothing. Her limbs felt heavy as she sunk into the chair behind her, everything numb from the inside out. Dom sat beside her, color draining from his face as the painful absence of sound continued to drown them both. "Damnit Marcus, answer me!"

Anya roughly banged her fist against the desk as she rerouted channels, searching for a signal.

"Anya..." Dom pushed her into the chair. "Just wait."

"I..."

"Go back to the first channel and wait."

Her body shuddered as that nothingness greeted her again. Static she could deal with, it made her feel less worried. A cough sounded through the link at long last, minutes felt like hours as another ragged hack filled the space. "Marcus?"

"Yeah, Anya..." A deep hack. "I hear you."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know." He sighed harshly. "We need to get the hammer online, then get the fuck out of here."

She clicked a few keys on the console to bring up the next satelite coming close to their location. "ETA for weapon deployment: thirty minutes."

"Okay, you hear that Delta?" Several affirmative responses filled the com, she felt lighter knowing everyone survived. "Then lets get to it."

"Marcus?" Anya couldn't help it, she had to add it. "Please be careful."

"Yeah, wilco Fenix out."

XXXxxxxxx

Marcus lifted his head as Anya's distraut voice continued to echo in his ear. His mind flashed back to exactly five minutes before the explosions rocked the archetecture and blew a hole in the cavern. A seeder burst through the rubble of the tunnel, Lambent no less, along with several things one had to see to believe. And Marcus was definitely having a hard time believing it.

Humans, glowing mutated humans. Lambent zombies eaten away by imulsion. Some crawling on all fours, some with extra arms and legs, others with missing body parts. Soldiers, women, children coming closer by the second. Then the locust came forth, their glowing hides lighting up the darkness as they all opened fire. A wash of grenades, bullets, explosions before everything inevitably went silent. Time ticked by slowly, the only noise a deafening ringing and Anya desperately trying to get him to respond.

"Marcus?"

"Yeah, Anya..." He coughed harshly, the smog still filling the cavern along with a burning stench. "I hear you."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know." He grumbled out. Marcus knew when he got back to base he'd fill them all in. At the moment, he was still coming to grips with it himself. "We need to get the hammer online, then get the fuck out of here."

That was, of course, easier said then done. He moved to his squad mates, shaking them, making sure they were consciousness before he listened in again.

"ETA for weapon deployment: thirty minutes." Sighing, he shook his head. With the satelites going down across the globe, it was hard to still find an operational one. Nothing worth doing was ever easy.

"Okay, you hear that Delta?" Cole whooped as usual, Baird just shrugged with a 'yeah,yeah', and Clay just gave a nod before examining the wreckage. "Then let's get to it."

"Marcus?" He knew that tone of voice. His jaw twitched a few times as the next words passed her lips. "Please be careful."

"Yeah, wilco Fenix out." Marcus softly replied before turning to his men. There were more of those things out there and they needed to be neutralized.

"So now we could turn into those things?" Baird practically passed out as he sat on a nearby rock. "Shit, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse."

"I don't think it's the standard breathe in and get it, or even exposure." Clay stated as he knelt by a body that didn't explode. "There are several bite marks, clawing, and no signs of dismemberment. These people were alive when they were fed upon by the lambent."

"So, Glowy locust eat human, we turn into lambent zombie?" Cole ran a hand over his head. "Well shit."

"What now, boss man?" Baird stood up and looked around for a Hammer targeting laser.

"I heard noises four clicks from this position going west. We drop a beam on whatever is there, hopefully it's something big." He crossed his arms over his chest after he holstered his lancer. "We've got thirty minutes to get there and only minutes of operating time once the satelite is in range. Watch for hostiles on the way."

XXXXxxx

It was a ghost town. That's all Marcus could think of to describe the dismantled city around them. Crumbled buildings, uprooted trees, charred earth. They shot the corpses now, right through the brain. No telling which ones could come alive and which couldn't. No one was taking any chances.

A few miles in and they found an abandoned Hammer targeting system, ten minutes remained on the clock as they followed the noise. It sounded like another seeder. Their coms confirmed it the closer they approached. More buildings condensed to rubble overflowing into the streets, remains of emergence holes riddled roads and yards alike. Cold wind rushed through the alley followed by snow.

Cresting a hill made by packed debris, Marcus moved into position and pulled the Hammer system from the holster on his back. The creature seated firmly in the ground rising up in a hunkered mass of glowing flesh and tentacles could hardly be described as its plain locust counterpart. It let out a groaning cry, the hiss echoing throughout the desolate land. They were brought to their knees by the animalistic screech, covering their ears as the sharp sound pierced their eardrums.

"Marcus, we gotta shut the thing up." Baird tried to shout over the noise. "The frequency is going to blow our heads off."

With a grunt, Marcus shoved the two sides of his bandanna in both ears before taking aim. He struggled to keep the trigger held as the fabric barely suppressed the sound. Looking over briefly at his squad mates, he noticed blood dripping down their faces from underneath their palms. Finally, a steady beep signaled the weapon lock and a beam of light shot down from the sky colliding with the beast for close to a minute.

"Throw grenades, shot it, anything now!" He shouted over the din. "Shit...more of those zombie freaks!"

Explosions racked the landscape, shaking the already unsteady facades of the buildings around them. Again the weapon fired in his unsteady grasp, the cry of the lambent seeder suddenly falling silent right before it expanded. "Shit, everybody duck!"

Pulling Clay with him down the hill, Baird and Cole followed suit as the huge creature detonated. Glowing liquid coated them in a fine mist before they were thrown across the street. That was the last image any one of them saw before darkness encased them.

XX

Marcus was unaware of how long he'd been out as he slowly lifted himself into a seated position on his knees. He pressed a hand to his head coming back with blood. The wound was fresh, so at least ten minutes. Groaning, he blinked a few times, looking around for his bandanna and finding the burnt remnants a few feet away; unwearable.

"Shit." Bringing himself to his feet, he scanned the surrounding rubble for his squad. "Cole, Baird, Carmine!"

Several groans could be heard from the rocks, Baird's was the worst. As Marcus approached his position, he found him stuck under a beam. Asphalt covered his legs as he moved the rubble from around his face. "Hang in there."

"Cole, Carmine!"

Cole rushed as fast as he could along side Clay. With Clay and Cole on one side and Marcus on the other, they were able to lift the heavy wood to the side. As it hit the ground, Baird gasped for breath. "Are...Are we going to...get out of this shit...shit hole now?"

"Yeah." Marcus' jaw twitched as he pressed two fingers to his com. "Control, this is Delta. Need a Raven here for immediate evac. It's Baird."

"The closest Raven is twenty minutes away." Anya answered, her voice quivering.

"It'll do." He grumbled. "Tell him to get the led out."

"Wilco." She sighed. "How...how are you?"

"Some hearing damage, but I'll live."


End file.
